Statistics compiled from NHTSA FARS Data and California Highway Patrol

A Look At The Year 2002 Of Driving Impaired

(Statistics As of May 2003)

NATION-WIDE:

Preliminary statistics for 2002 indicate an increase again in alcohol-related traffic fatalties. An estimated 17,970 were killed in 2002 – an increase of 500 deaths over 2001. 42% of all traffic fatalities were alcohol-related in 2002. One positive note is that injuries decreased in alcohol-related crashes in 2002 when approximately 252,000 were injured, a -8.4% decrease from 2001 when 275,000 were injured.

From 1980 – 1999 the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities declined but progress leveled off and deaths are again on the rise. 2001 showed an increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities from 2000. 17,448 people were killed in 2001, an increase of 68 deaths over 2000.

Three out of every ten Americans will be involved in an impaired driving crash in their lifetime. Approximately 49 people are killed across the country each day in alcohol-related traffic collisions. One person is killed every 30 minutes and one is injured every 26 seconds. Direct costs of alcohol-related crashes are estimated to be $114 billion yearly.

IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY:

In 2002, 95 people were killed in San Diego County and 3,077 were injured in alcohol-related traffic collisions. These stats represent a 22 percent decrease from the 122 persons who were killed in San Diego County in 2001…but a one percent increase from the 3,050 injured. In 2000, 83 were killed and 2,892 were injured.

FOR CALIFORNIA:

The number of people killed and injured in alcohol-related crashes in California has decreased over 40% since administrative license revocation (ALR) and the lower .08 blood content (BAC) laws went into effect in 1990.

In 2002, 1,206 Californians were killed in alcohol-related traffic collisions and 31,847 were injured. These statistics represent an 8% decrease in DUI fatalities and a less than 1 percent increase in injuries from 2001 when 1,308 were killed and 31,847 were injured. Alcohol-related traffic deaths have declined significantly since 1987 when deaths in California reached a high of 2,754. California law enforcement officials credit tough drunk driving laws and mandatory seat belt laws for significantly lowering the highway fatality rate, but there are concerns that gains have leveled off and deaths have increased in the last few years.

(Statistics compiled from NHTSA FARS Data and California Highway Patrol)

THE FACTS – How Alcohol Affects the Body – What You Won’t See Written On the Side of The Bottle!

*When consumed in large amounts over time, alcohol can harm virtually every organ in your body; many of these effects are reversible with abstinence, others are not.

·Esophagus: Alcohol is associated with nearly half of the cancers of the esophagus, mouth, and larynx. People who vomit too intensely after getting drunk can cause tears in their esophagus.

·Brain: Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and contracts brain tissue. And yes, it destroys brain cells — which unlike many other types of cells in the body, do not regenerate. Taken in large amounts over a long period of time, alcohol can cause serious problems with cognition and memory.

·Heart: Heavy drinking can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and heart failure. Even social drinkers who binge on special occasions can sometimes get bouts of irregular heartbeats, a condition known as “holiday heart.”

·Lungs: Heavy drinkers have more pulmonary infections and can be more susceptible to pneumonia and lung collapse. An intoxicated person loses his reflexes and can’t clear his airway when he vomits. Stomach contents may get sucked into the lungs, which can lead to choking or pneumonia.

·Liver: Liver damage often begins with a fatty liver, and may progress to alcoholic hepatitis. That may be followed by the buildup of scar tissue known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can change the structure of the liver and choke off blood flow. This can cause varicose veins, which can rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding.

·Stomach: Alcohol irritates the stomach, and can cause gastritis, ulcers and acid reflux. Gastritis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the stomach. Erosion in that lining can cause constant oozing of blood into the stomach or, if a vessel ruptures, major bleeding.

·Kidneys: Alcohol is a diuretic that increases urine output. Prolonged heavy drinking can cause kidney failure.

·Small intestines & pancreas: Alcohol blocks the absorption and breakdown of nutrients by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines, and by decreasing the amount of digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas. The pancreas can become inflamed and leak digestive enzymes, which then attack the pancreas itself.

·Reproductive system: In men, it impairs the production of sperm and testosterone, and can lead to infertility and impotence. In women, the effect can be decreased estrogen metabolism in the liver which increases the amount of estrogen circulating in the body, which can contribute to menstrual irregularities and even infertility.

·Blood: Prolonged alcohol abuse can cause anemias and abnormal blood clotting, which results in excessive bleeding and easy bruising. It also impairs the function of white blood cells, increasing susceptibility to infection.

·Joints & muscles: Alcohol dependence can cause osteoporosis and arthritis, and deform the joints. It can atrophy muscles and cause acute muscle pain and weakness.

Article reprinted in excerpted form with permission from the Portland Press Herald.